Made to Gentle
by TitaniumDragon87
Summary: Emma lives her days out training in medicine with her father Dogen, then being a helper to Lord Isshin. However Isshin sees that Emma has much more potential than she knows. Thus she starts her way to the Gentle Blade.


Emma entered Isshin's chambers. Her lord nowhere to be found. She looked around, seeing mostly sake cups and some clothes. She picked up the things loosely spread about in the room. The cups she stacked and placed on the dresser, and the clothes she put in the basket.

Emma had just came from her father's, Lord Dogen's shop.. Her daily training concluded and she had to attend to her other duty, caring for Ashina's leader. She walked back into the center of the room and stared out of the window into the clouds, when a hand grabbed the ledge. Emma stepped back in fear, then the person's head popped up. It was Isshin.

"Lord Isshin, what have I told you about climbing on the slopes of the castle." Emma said as she approached her master. Isshin turned to face her.

"Oh, Emma, on time as usual. Here take this put it in the laundry basket. Then fetch me another one." Isshin removed his current shirt and threw it towards Emma. It landed on her covering her whole body. Emma took a light sniff and smelled nothing but sweat and women.

"Eww. Lord Isshin what were you doing?" Emma asked taking the shirt off of her body.

"Just down at the courtesans house. Yuki took care of me." Emma looked up quickly. She ran over to Isshin and grabbed his arm.

"But-but….I'm the one who takes care of you."

"Not that kind of way Emma." Emma let go of her lord's arm and handed him a shirt. Isshin put it on and laid back in his resting area. He took a bottle of Sake from the wall and handed it to Emma. "Pour me some Sake."

Emma grabbed one of the cups she moved earlier and pour a little sake into it. She put the cup onto a tray and brought it over to her master. Isshin sat back and started to drink.

"So how is Lord Dogen?"

"Father is doing well. He is teaching me about gourd seeds." Emma sits before her Lord and talks about her most recent events. Isshin continued to drink. "What have you been doing Lord Isshin?"

"Not much of anything. Since the war it seems I've got nothing to do but watch as Ashina grows stronger and stronger." Isshin says calmly to his little servant. He eyes trained on him listening in closely.

"What about Genichiro, I mean Lord Genichiro?"

"He stays in the back training every day. I'm starting to see that he can use lightning same as I. I believe it was Tomoe who taught him that."

Emma grew suspicious.

"Um…..Tomoe?"

"She is a woman who I fought a long time ago." Isshin sorta satisfied her suspicion.

"A long time ago. Lord Isshin how old are you?" Emma asked shamelessly as she moved over to him quickly. Isshin busted into laughter. He enjoyed humoring this young girl and all of her crazy questions.

"I'm 58. And how about you?" Emma puffed her cheeks in small person anger.

"You know how old I am. 12 years old!" Isshin started to laugh again as he poured more sake.

"12 years old. So when is Dogen going to start training you with a blade." Isshin brought up a interesting question. Emma normally spends her days practicing medicine with her foster father. Isshin a renowned swordsman, could see that even someone like her can be a great as him.

"A blade. You mean be a swordsman like you Lord Isshin?" Emma replied with both surprise and worry.

"Yes. A girl like yourself should not have to only be in a lab making medicine. A blade would suit you greatly. Just like Tomoe."

"Just like Tomoe." Emma stopped and thought for a while. Her body calmly moved towards the window, where she could see Genichiro training his sword. Her mind took off the subject and remembered her place as a doctor. " But-but….I don't think I'd be fit for it. I'm a doctor. Plus i don't think ill ever be able to hold a sword like you or Lord Genichiro."

"Who is to say a doctor that can heal a wound cannot also make one." Isshin firmly put into the girls head. "Plus, not all warriors need the largest or greatest weapon. For you, a small blade will suffice."

Isshin pulled a tiny box from under his floor. The box was red and slightly thin. Emma was motioned to sit next to her lord. The box's cover was removed and Emma saw a short blade that seemed much longer than the length of her arm. She went to grab the blade, yet Isshin pulled it back.

"You will have to earn this. Starting tomorrow you will start training with a sword."

"Really?" Emma start to wonder how he days would change. From the morning she would spend time learning medicine with Dogen, and from the afternoon to evening, she would train with Lord Isshin. To think that her life would change so drastically so quickly. She knew she couldn't back out. In some sense her little mind hoped for this, more time with Isshin. SHe looked up at her Lord. "Okay. I'll do my best."

Isshin put the tiny box away, and poured himself some more sake.

"Okay. I'm going to get some rest now. I have some friends coming over for a party tonight. So I want you to have the laundry done before you leave." Isshin ordered.

"Yes, my lord." Emma got to her work, picking up the basket and taking it down to the nearby stream. She begin to wash the clothes, then she started to hear the sound of a sword hitting something. Genichiro was stanced far on the other side of the stream. He swung over and over at a straw dummy, testing a swing, thrust, and even a long combo. She stared as he continued to strike and attack with no avail or rest, until the end where Genichiro took the star dummies head. Then he just replaced it with another. Then he stood still, and quickly turned his head to Emma.

The girl silently shrieked and went back to her job. The clothes now being cleaned with great ease and strength from the girl.

"You're grandfathers little helper are you not?" Emma stopped moving entirely. Her head not wanting to move an inch to face the young lord.

To be continued…..


End file.
